Kangaroo spotted in Coburg North

Yolanda Redrup

A Kangaroo spotted in Coburg North around 11am this morning has been captured by Wildlife Victoria and taken back to nearby grasslands.

Wildlife Victoria spokeswoman Amy Amato said the kangaroo is likely to have ventured into suburbia from Merri Creek, a waterway which flows through Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

“It was a male eastern grey kangaroo, weighing about 35 kg. So he would have been about four or five years old. He was a juvenile, spirited boy who was quite scared,” she said.

“He was tranquilised by one of our volunteer rescuers in a person’s backyard. He had been very flighty and scared, jumping from backyard to backyard, so we were very worried he would end up on Sydney Road.”

The kangaroo was first spotted on Gaffney St, with local residents reporting the unusual sight to Fawkner Police Station.

Wildlife Victoria also had three members of the public report the kangaroo.

“We’re seeing an increasing numbers of calls to emergency response services about kangaroos in suburbia. It’s quite worrying and we’re urging people to call up as soon as possible,” Ms Amato said.

“They’re not aggressive, but he [the kangaroo] would have been scared. It wasn’t that big, but to someone who hadn’t seen one in the backyard before it would have looked quite large.”

If you see any kangaroos or wild animals roaming Melbourne’s streets, contact Wildlife Victoria on 1300 094 535.